Peace building refers generally to the long-term project of building peaceful communities, a desirable goal. at
Holistic understanding of peace
Our ideas shape our feelings and our actions as well as how we live and how we relate with others.
Peace- defined as merely the absence of war or direct violence. the simplest and most widespread understanding of peace was that of absence of death and destruction as a result of war and physical/direct violence.
structural violence-led to death and suffering because of the conditions that resulted from it: extreme poverty, starvation, avoidable diseases, discrimination against minority groups and denial of human rights
positive peace - peace with nature is considered the foundation
Peace
negative peace
absence of direct/physical violence (both macro and micro)
(war, torture, child and woman abuse)
positive peace
-presence of conditions of well being and just relationshops: social economic, political, ecological
-stuctural violence - poverty, hunger
socio-cultural violence - racism, sexism, religious intolerance
ecological violence - pollution, overconsumption
Peace education, or an education that promotes a culture of peace, is essentially transformative. it cultivates the knowledge base, skills, attitues and values that seek to transform people's mindsets, attitudes and behaviors that, in the first place, have either created or exacerbated violent conflicts. it seeks this transformation by building awareness and understanding, developing concern, and finally challenging personal and social action that will enable people to created conditions and systems that actualie non violence, justice, environmental care and other peace values.
the peaceable teaching-learning process
cognitive phase(being aware, understanding)
active phase(taking practical action)
affective phase(being concerned, responding, valuing)
sadly, social injustice, war and other forms of violence have long been features of our human conditions. they have caused death, destruction and horrific suffering but humanity has not yet been able to wage a successful collective effort to transform this condition.
peace education is a practical alternative
educating for peace will give us in the long run the practical benefits that we seek.
peace education is an ethical imperative
educating for peace is an ethical imperative considering the negation of life and well-being caused by all forms of violence.
peace education's schema of knowledge, skills and attitudes/values
1. holistic concept of peace - peace is not just the absence of direct/physical violence but also the presence of conditions of well-being, cooperation and just relationships in the human and ecological spheres.
2. conflict and values
3. some peaceful alternatives
a. disarmament - introduced to the goal of abolishing war and reducing global armed forces and armaments.
b. nonviolence - philosophical and spiritual underpinnings of nonviolence as well as its efficacy as a method to effect change.
c. conflict resolution, transformation and prevention - can study effective ways of resolving conflicts non violently (collaborative problem-solving) and how these can be applied into their lives.
d. human rights- they should be encouraged to respect the dignity of all especially the weak and powerless.
e. human solidarity
f.developmental based on justice - learners can be made critically aware of the realities and tragic consequences of structural violence and how a philosphy of development baed on justice is a preferred alternative.
g. democratization - understand that democracy provides the environment within which people's fundamental rights, interests and wishes are respected.
h. sustainable development - needs to understand the interdependent relationship between humans and the natural environment and understand the changes that are necessary to ensure the well being of the earth's ecosystems such that it can continue to meet future and present needs.
attitudes/values
1. self-respect - having a sense of their own worth and a sense of pride in their own particular social, cultural and family background as well as a sense of their own power and goodness which will enable them to contribute toward positive change
2. respect for others - sense of worth and inherent dignity of other people, including those with social, religious, cultural and family backgrounds different from their own.
3. respect for life/non violence - valuing of human life and refusal to respond to an adversary or conflict situation with non violence; preference for non violent processes such as collaborative problem-solving and other positive techniques as against the use of physical force and weapons.
4. gender equality - valuing the rights of women to enjoy oppotunities with men and to be free from abuse
5. compassion - sensitivity to the difficult conditions and suffering of other people and acting with deep empathy and kindness toward those who are marginalized/excluded.
6. global concern - caring for the whole human community transcending or going beyond the concern which they have for their nation or local
7. ecological concern - caring for the natural environment
8. cooperation - valuing for cooperation, processes and the principle of working together toward the pursuit of common goals.
9. openness/tolerance - openness to the processes of growth and change as well as willingness to approach and receive other people's ideas, beliefs and experiences with a critical but open mind; respecting the rich diversity
10. justice - acting with a sense of fairness towards others, upholding the principle of equality and rejection of all forms and exploitation and oppression
11. social responsibility - willingness to take action to contribute to the shaping of a socity characterized by justice, nonviolence and well being
12. positive vision - imaging the kind of future they prefer with a sense of hope an pursuing its realization in ways that they can.
skills
1. reflection - deepen their understanding of themselves and their connectedness to others and to the living earth
2. critical thinking and analysis - ability to approach issues with an open but critical mind
3. decision-making - analyze problems, develop alternative solutions
4. imagination - creating and imagining new paradigms and new preferred ways of living and relating
5. communication - listening attentively and with empathy
6. conflict resolution - ability to analyze conflicts in an objective and systematic way and to suggest a range of nonviolent solutions.
7. empathy - see the perspective of another person or group and to feel what that person or group feels.
8. group building - working cooperatively with one another in order to achieve common goals.
spiritual and faith traditions as resources for peace
the world's major spiritual and faith traditions inspire and motivate people to embrace peace as a mission
peace techniques
1. the rejection of violence
2. love and compassion for other humans
3. love and compassion for other creatures and life forms in nature
4. respect for human dignity
5. justice or fairness
upholding human dignity is at the center of the values system that we associate with social peace.
human dignity is defined as the fundamental innate worth of a human being, a principle that is now universally accepted but has not taken root in the actual practices of many governments, communities and other non-state actors.
human rights education - education that seeks to uphold human dignity
the convention of the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (cedaw) is also known as the international bill of rights for women and is the only internation treaty that comprehensively addresses women's rights.
RA 7877 - anti sexual harrassment act
ra 8353 - anti-rape law
ra 8505 - rape victims assistance and protection act
ra 9280 - anti trafficking children act
convention on the rights of the child was adopted by the Un general assembly in 1989 and entered into force in september 1990. it is a significant document because it recognizes for the first time the children's rights as a distinct human rights category that should be protected and promoted.
rights and responsibilities
while we expect our rights to be respected, protected and promoted, we should also be willing to underake the corresponding responsibilities. we cannot think only of the promotion of our own rights without thinking of the right of others.
challenging prejudice and building tolerance
prejudice is the negative feeling or attitude towards a person or a group even if it lacks bases.
stereotype refers to the negative opinion about a person or group based on incomplete knowledge.
discrimination refers to negative actions toward members of a specific social group that may be manifested in avoidance, aversion or even violences.
types of prejudice
racism - one's own cultural or racial heritage is innately superior to that of others, hence, the lack of respect or appreciation for those who belong to a different race
sexism - a system of attitudes, actions and structures that subordinates others on the basis of their sex where the usual victims ae women
heterosexism - negative attitudes toward lesbians and gay men
classism -distancing from and perceiving the poor as "the other"
linguicism - negative attitudes which members of dominant language groups hold against non-dominant language groups
ageism - negative attitudes held against the young or the elderly
looksism - prejudice against those who do not measure up to set standards of beauty.
religious intolerance - prejudice against those who are followers of religious other than one's own
tolerance- is not tolerating what is unjust but it is respecting, accepting and appreciating the rich, diversity of cultures and various forms of human expressions
promoting non violence
non violence is the refusal to do harm to other humans as life is sacred and is an absolute value. it is anchored on the belief that humans have the potential to change.
why non violence - it is both an ehtical and moral choice
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